William h



(MMM') W. H. CAMPBELL.

GATE. 3 No. 337,375. Patented Mar. 9,1886.

the gate.

' NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. CAMPBELL, OF RIDGE FARM, ILLINOIS.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,375, dated March 9, 1886.

Application filed November 18, 1885. Serial No. 183,219. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

' Be itknown that I, WILLIAM H. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ridge Farm, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of improvements in devices designed to prevent the sagging of a swinging gate, to enable it to swing clear of obstructions on the ground, and to close and latch itself. The gateis supported upon a single hinge or pivot at the bottom of the back post and by two stays, the upper ends of which are fastened to a yoke pivoted to the top of the back post. The lower ends of the stays are fastened on opposite sides of the gate to the ends of a bar adjustable in a ratchet-plate attached to the gate, for adjusting the front portion of the gate to the required height. A bar is pivoted to the lower front portion of the gate to support it in an elevated position while the stay-bar is being adjusted in the ratchet. For the purpose of more securely guarding the latch and placing it and its keeper out of the way, the latch is placed on the inside of The front portion of the horizontal bars of the gate are extended, forming the bearings of the gate against the latch-post, which post is recessed to receive the latch, and the keeper is made short, all as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the gate closed. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the gate open. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section through the hinge pivot and socket. Fig. 5 is a view of the front end of the gate closed.

A designates a gate having the front portions, (1, of the horizontal bars a extended to form the bearings of the gate when closed against the latch-post.

B B are the gate-posts, and B is a guardpost placed near post B, in position to support laterally the back end of the gate and allow the gate to swing open. The back end of the gate is supported vertically upon a single hinge or pivot, b, attached at or near the bottom and extended beyond the back line of the post B. It is evident that this hinge may be constructed and attached in any suitable manner. At present I use the pivot b, formed on a bar, 0, inserted in the post, which pivot extends upward into a socket formed in the plate 0, attached to the bottom of the gate.

- The forward portion of the gate is supported by the two stays at d, the upper ends of which are attached to the ends of a yoke, C, pivoted to the top of the post B. The stays are extended downwardone on each side of the gate-and attached at their lower ends to the ends of the stay-bar 01, extended through a slot in a ratchet-plate, d attached near the top of the middle portion of the gate. The plate d is provided with ratchet-teeth on the upper side of the slot, and the stay-bar d 1s constructed to catch and hold securely in the ratchet for adjusting and supporting the front of the gate at the required height.

Near the front and bottom of the gate is a bar, D, the front end of which is pivoted on a bolt to the gate, and the back free end of the bar, when not in use, is secured in a keeper, f, attached to the gate. v

The latch E is placed on the inside of the gate, and the post B is provided with a recess, 71, to receive the latch when the gateis closed. By means of the recess in the post and the location of the latch on the inside of the gate, the keeper F may be made very short, or may be formed on the post, and the latch and. keeper are placed out of the way of persons or teams passing by or through the gate. Another advantage of the location of the latch on the 1nside of the gate is, that the strain on the latch in closing the gate is supported by the side of the gate, and does not come against the latchguard h.

In adjusting the front of the gate to the required height the pivoted bar D is turned down, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, supporting the gate in an elevated position, whlle the pawl-bar d is adjusted 1n the required. place in the ratchet-plate, when the pivoted bar is replaced in its keeper and the gate is supported at the required height by the stays. The two stays-one on each side of the gate serve to hold it steady in an upright position. The hinge or pivot upon which the gate swings being located at the back corner of the post B,

as the gateswings open, the stays necessarily draw the upper portion of the back end of the gate backward beyond a vertical line, as shown by a dotted line in Fig. 3, thus elevating the front of the gate as it opens, enabling it to swing clear of stonesor. other obstructions on the ground, and placing it in position to autoinatically close and latch itself.

It will be noticed that as soon as the gate begins to open it begins to rise. This result is secured and depends on the single hinge or pivot and the supporting-stays located in the required position. The stay-yoke should be pivoted at the center of the top of the post, and the supporting pivot or hinge should be ator' near the bottom of the post, and should ex: tend at least one'half the thickness of the gate beyond the back line ofthe post, to allow space back of the post for the back end of the gate when opened, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. H

The pivoted bar D may be turned down to prop and hold the gate open, as seen in Fig. 3.

I am aware that heretofore swinging gates hung upon single pivots or hinges have been supported by stays connected with the gates and with the hinge-posts, and that such gates have been provided with pivoted supports, and I do not claim such devices, broadly; but

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is H 1. The combination of the swinging gate A, hung upon a single hinge or pivot, b, the stays dd, placed one on each sideof the gate, the stay-yokeO, pivoted-to the top of the post, the ratchet-plate d, attached to the gate, and the stay-bar d, attached to the stays and adjustable in the ratchet, substantially as and fQf'f/LIG purposes described.

2.v The combination of the swinging gate A, hung upon a single hinge or pivot, b, the stays d d, placed one on each side of the gate, the

stay-yoke C, pivoted to the top of the post, 

